Index-locking device and card attachment



, 1,626,885 May 3' 1927' R. M. SMITH INDEX LOCKING DEVICE AND CARD ATTACHMENT Filed sept. 1, 1920 ggf-7- Patented May 3, 1927.

PATENT OFFICE.

RITTENHOUSE M. SMITH, OF MOBILE, ALABAMA.

INDEX-LOCKING DEVICE AND CARD ATTACHMENT.

Application led September 1, 1920. Serial No. 407,372.

The present invention relates to index locking devices and card attachments, for use in filing and indexing devices.

Wherever, however, the word card is used herein, it is understood that the word refers to any card or other sheet material, book or folder.

The principal objects ofmy invention are to provide a file or indexin which the individual filing elements, for example cards, envelopes, folders and so forth, may be locked in such a manner as to allow inspection but to prevent inadvertent or accidental removal. My invention is particularly adapted to the system described in my copending application S. N. 403,906, filed August 16th, 1920, in whichl provide a plurality of longitudinal slots inthe bottom of a filing box or drawer, each of' which corresponds for instance to a date, the cards used in this system beingl provided with a finger, which may be positioned in any desired slot to indicate that the card corresponds to the date or heading symbolized by the slot.

Another object is to provide means for raising-the card to a given height, so that the operator may examine the contents of the upper portion of the card even when the card is locked within the container.

Other objects will appear from the following description and appended claims, as well as from the accompanying drawing.

Figure l is a transverse sectional view of a file box or tray constructed in accordance with the present invention.

Figure 2 is a perspective view of a portion of the box, one of the grids being broken away.

Figure 3 is a detail sectional view showing a stop for determining the distance which the lower grid or bars shall move in locking or unlocking the cards. f

Figure i is a view of a portion of a card showing the reen-forcing strip in position to be attached. f

Figure 5 is a sectional view on the line 5-5 of Figure t of the reenforcing strip.

Figure 6 is a sectional view of a modified form of a stationary grid bar.

Figure 7 is a modified form of finger having two locking projections. l

Figure 8 is a modified form of a moving grid bar adapted to cooperate with the form of finger shown in Figure 7.

Figure 9 is a card having a modified form of reenforcing strip and two locking fingers.

Figure 10 is a view of a modified form of handle for moving the grid.

A container with preferably a stationary grid or stationary bars near 2the bottom thereof is provided. One of the two devices described in this application comprises a movable grid or one or more movable bars, positioned beneath the bottom of the upper stationary grid or stationary bars, and this movable grid and movable bars extend lengthwise with, and in the same direction as, the said stationary upper bars or grid. The other device included in this application is an attachment which fastens to a card, and contains at the lower end a finger having one or more openings or notches in the sides of the said finger, which opening or openings,

when the card is properly positioned in the container, extend from afpoint above to a point below an adjoining movable bar. -so that one edge of the movable bar, may-be moved into an opening of the finger, thus preventing the finger from being raised above the movable bar until the movable bar is withdrawn from the opening.

When the word bar is used herein, it means either a separate bar, or a bar constitutingy one of two or more bars forming a grid. f

Referring to the drawings it will be seen that the present invention employsa special forni of card. Thus, as clearly is shown in the drawing, a positioning finger 22 projects from the lower edge of the card l, and is adapted to be disposed in any desired slot 24 between the stationary bars 5, and thus properly position the card. The finger 22 has a notch 8 or recess which is wider than 1 the thickness of the moving bars 4, the notch being determined by a shoulder 3 which cooperates with the moving bar to lock the card in the slot, The width of the notch 8 and 8 especially, as in Figures 7 and 9l respectively, allows the card to be raised for inspection even when locked. At its opposite or upper edge the card is provided with an indicator 9. In the form shown, this indicator 9 projects above the upper edge 25 of' the card 1 and is adapted to cooperate with a series of numerals or other index notations on a partition behind thecards. Preferably the positioning finger and indicator are parts of a reinforcing strip 15, secured to the edge of the card. r`his strip 15 may be of metal or other suitable material, and the card 1 may be attached to it with any suitable means. In some instances it is desirable to have the indicator of different colors `or forms. To this end lugs 30 may be provided at the upper end oi the binding piece 15 i'or attaching thereto an indicator ot the desired color or form.

Another form of card'is illustrated in Fig'- ure 9. ln this modification two positioning iingers Q2 or more positioning lingers, project trom the lower edge ol the card, 'and preferably these lingers are integral with a reinforcing strip 26 on the Vbottom edge of the card, and the strip 26 may be integral with the strip 15 at the vertical edge'otl the card.

In employing the present invention the Vlard 1 is filed between a pair oit partitions or between a partition and the iront or rear wall of a container parallel to the same, and with its positioning linger 22 in one of slots 9.4, so that the card will extend across the top of the stationary bars 5, and at right angles to the said bars. The stationary bars may be fiat on the upper surface, and rounded on the under side as shown at 14 in Figure 6, but the invention is not limited to flat or rounded suriiaces on any particular side. In the finger also are one or more side recesses or notches 8, but it is understood that the invention is not limited to the particular shape or form of recess shown in the drawing. Any form or' recess into which the movable bar or grid may be positioned so as to impede or preventthe witl'idrawa'l ot' the finger from below the bottom surface of the stationary bar 5 is within the scope of this invention.

Finger 22 may have either one or more recesses. Figure 7 shows a linger with two recesses one on each edge of the projection.

When unlocking the finger, bars 4, which represent the movable bars in Figure 1, are moved to the lett 'by pressing the knob towards the iile container, which removes bar 4 from recess S in the finger, and card attachment 15 with card 1 attached can be lifted up and finger 22 passed upwards between bars 4 and 5. The vrecess 8 or 8 in the finger` however, may be of a greater length, as shown in Figures 7 or 9 respectively than is the thickness of bar 4.

Figure 8 shows a section through one of the bars 4 of the movable grid shaped as at 14 to conform to the ldirection of the downward drop at 3 in inger 22 Fig. 7. This edge may be used, so thatthe movable bar may the more firmly grasp the finger 22, but the invention is not limited to any particular shape of movable bar.

There may, as above stated, lie-either separate movable bars, or a multiple of movable bars joined together, or one single grid consisting of a number of bars, but in case more than one bar are joined together, they move jointly, each in the same direction and each the same distance.

In Figure 3 means are shown for limiting the movement of movable grid 18. At the left end of the container as viewed in Fig. 1 is arranged a stop bar 16 which may also form a support 'for the stationary grid at that end. This bar is cut away as shown in Fig. 3 to allow movement ot the ylower grid to register the grooves in the upper and lower grids. At the opposite end lci! 18 to which the stop 16 'is located, will be located adevice 'lioreft'ecting the movement of the movable grid or bar. In Figure 1 it is shown as ahandle 11, normallypressed to the 'right-by a spring 6. vWhen itis desired Afor vinstance to unlock the card shown in Figure 1, this handle would lbe pushed in, which would cause the lower line 'ot bars, which are the movable bars 4, to move to the lett, and when these movable bars are directly beneath the stationary bars 5, so that the sides of the bars 5 are in alignment with the sides of bars 4, lthe linger 22 is released and may be drawn out of slot 24, and when pressure is removed from 11 the device automat ically becomes again locked.

In Figure 10 is shown an alternative form of handle 11 having screw thread 12 adjacent-the knobto permit the movable grid to Aremain in register with the stationary grid while cards are being tiled. ldhen the handle is pushed in a sufficient distance to bring the movable 'grid slots in alignment with the upper slots, the threads onthe handle will engage the threads 12 in the bushing 42 and a slight turn of the knob will hold the handle and grid in a fixed position.

Bars 4 are joined to one another by meansl which hold them the proper distance apart Vfrom `one another, and bars 5 are likewise joined to one another by means which hold them apart from one another the proper distance.

Although these two specilic iorms oi movement-directing devices are illustrated in the drawings, the invention is not limited to 4these two means, but any means which will cause the movable bars vto move back and forth are within the scope of the invention.

The movable bars are held in their proper position beneath the stationary bars 5 by any convenient support such as bars 31 secured at each end to the side of the tray, and the top oi' 4 should be sufficiently below the bottom of 5 to givel bars 4 room for free movement in locking and unlocking the cards.

Although a specific form of the invention has been described in detail, it is understood that the invention is not thus limited, but includes modifications and changes lill) lit) which come within the scope of the appended claims.

In Figure l one form of reinforcing strip for the cards is shown, with attaching means at 19 passin l5, while in Figure 9 at 10 is shown another form of reinforcing strip securing means. In the latter construction, the strips are provided with prongs or teeth formed by striking up points as shown at 40 in Figure 9. These points lbite into the card and securely hold the card to the strip. As shown in Figure 9, the card is provided with two projections 22, 22', each of which fits into a slot so that each end of the card may be locked. The bottom reinforcing strip 26 may be made integral with the vertical reinforcing strip 15', in which case the projections 22, 22', are formed from the same blank. The strip 26 may be formed se-parately from the vertical strip 15, however, and the projection 22 made integral with the bottom reinforcing strip 26. The reinforcing strip may either fold ovler the edge of the card as shown in Figure 5, or it may rest only on one side of the card. In either event it is fastenedl to the card by some convenient means.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent are:

l. In a filing device, a holder for filing units having a plurality of elongated openings therein, a filing unit having a projection aligned with a vertical edge thereof adapted to be slidably positioned in any of said openings, and means for locking the projection therein.

2. A iiling device comprising m combination, a holder for filing units having a slot therein, a liling unit having a projection adapted to be slidably mounted in the slot and a movable bar disposed parallel to the slot and adapted to engage the projection to prevent its removal from the slot. j

3. A filing device comprising in combination, a holder forV filing units having a plurality of parallel slots therein, a filing element having a projection adapted tov be slidably mounted in any of said slots and bars each cooperating with a slot and adapted to engage the projection to prevent its removal from the slot.

et. In a filing device, a holder for filing units comprising a stationary grid and a second similar grid parallel to and adjacent the stationary grid, a filing unit having a projection adapted to be placed in any of the slots of said grids when the slots register, and means for moving the second grid out of register with the stationary grid to prevent the removal of the projection.

0f through tabs 20 integral with similar grid parallel to and adjacent the,

stationary grid, means normally holding said grids out of register with each other and means for moving the second-mentioned grid so that the slots of the two grids are in alignment.

7. In a filing device, a stationary grid, aV second similar grid parallel to and adjacent the stationary grid, a handle for moving the second grid, a spring member normally engaging the handle and normally holding the second grid out of register with the stationary grid, the handle being adapted to be disengaged from the grid and the spring member.

8. A filing unit comprising a card, a projection on the card in alignment with a vertical edge thereof adapted to be positioned in slots of a filing device, a shoulder on said projection adapted to cooperate with a locking device adjacent the slots to prevent removal of the card and an indicator aligned with said projection.

9. As an article of manufacture, a combined indicator, reinforcing strip and locking device adapted to be attached to a filing sheet, including a 'folded strip of sheet metal having a pointed indicator, attaching tabs and a shouldered locking projection.

10. In a filing element, in combination, a sheet of material and a combined indicator and locking device comprising a reenforcing strip secured to the sheet and projecting on opposite sides thereof, the projection on one side adapted to be positioned in vslots of a filing device and having a narrow shank portion and a relatively wide portion adapted to cooperate with a locking device adjacent the slots to lock it in a filing device.

l1. A filing unit comprising a card, means reinforcing a vertical edge thereof, said reinforcing vmeans extending beyond the upper edge of said card forming an indicator, and below the lower edge forming a positioning finger, said finger having an enlarged end portion.V

In testimony whereof, I aiiix my signature.

RITTENHOUSE M. SMITH. 

